Amazon suspends commercial drone deliveries in Texas, Arizona after two crashes in rainy weather

Amazon has temporarily suspended its commercial drone delivery operations in Texas and Arizona after two of its latest MK30 models crashed in rainy weather at a testing facility.

The company announced on Friday that it was pausing the program to implement software updates to ensure the safety of its fleet.

The crashes, which occurred in December at Amazon’s Pendleton, Ore. testing site, were attributed to a software malfunction caused by light rain.

One of the drones caught fire upon impact.

Although an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg News that the crashes were not the “primary reason” for the pause, the company declined to specify other issues being addressed in the software update.

Amazon’s MK30 drones had been delivering packages in College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Ariz. after the company won approval from the Federal Aviation Administration in October.

Last summer, the mayor of College Station sent a strongly worded letter to the FAA to protest Amazon’s drones and their noise levels, which some locals likened to a “giant hive of bees.”

The six-propeller model is designed to be lighter, quieter and capable of flying in light rain — a feature now under scrutiny.

“We’re currently in the process of making software changes to the drone and will be voluntarily pausing our commercial operations,” Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told Bloomberg News.

“Deliveries will resume once the updates are completed and approved by the FAA.”

Employees at the affected drone sites will continue to be paid during the suspension.

The decision marks another setback for Amazon’s Prime Air, which has struggled for over a decade to expand its drone delivery service.

Despite regulatory milestones, including FAA clearance to fly beyond an operator’s visual line of sight, the program remains in limited trials.

Amazon completed its first test flight in Italy last month and is seeking approvals for operations in the UK.

In addition to the December crashes, a previously unreported incident in September saw two Amazon drones collide due to operator error.

According to an FAA report, the company was testing the MK30’s response to motor failure when a second drone was mistakenly launched on a collision course.

The drones crashed midair and spiraled to the ground. Amazon has since revised its operating procedures and training protocols.

The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating both the September and December crashes.

Amazon maintains that such tests are essential for improving drone safety.

“The purpose of these tests is to push our aircraft past their limits — it would be irresponsible not to do that,” Stephenson said.

Amazon’s drone program has encountered multiple safety concerns in recent years.

A Bloomberg investigation previously documented five crashes in 2021, including one that caused a brushfire.

The FAA recorded at least four additional crashes in 2022, three due to sudden power loss.

In November 2023, Amazon temporarily halted operations after an MK27-2 drone crashed when its battery failed mid-flight.

As Amazon works to refine its technology, it remains uncertain whether the company will be able to overcome its setbacks and make drone delivery a permanent mainstay.